Forgotten Cobweb Stuff

Doing the Self-Publishing thing, you end up doing a lot and being in a lot of things–especially when it comes to the internet. And some things just, well, just fall to the side and accumulate cobwebs.

That’s what happened to my LuLu account.

I started my self-publishing journey on LuLu in 2009. Three of my novels are there. Just sitting there. Nothing happening with them. They just sit. There. Forgotten.

Then, I just happen to hear something on a LinkedIn discussion that LuLu charges for uploading. It does? I asked myself. They didn’t charge for uploads when I started way back when. Hmmm.

So, I went to my account to see what the rates were. I never found it. But I’m figuring it must be something to do with the eNovels. And while I was looking, I noticed my “dashboard” had changed and that one of my eBooks, The Made, was $8.99.

$8.99!!!

I don’t have my eBooks at $8.99!! That’s insane!

I dug a bit deeper and found that my paperback novels were automatically converted to eBooks.

Hmmmm, I said to myself. I think I remember LuLu sending me an email about that.

Oh well. So, I changed the pricing and while I was there, I noticed that same eBook was being distributed to iBookstore and Barnes and Noble.

Huh?

I already have my books there through Smashwords. I didn’t need LuLu to do it too.

I went to Barnes and Noble and, sure enough, that $8.99 pricing overwrote my Smashwords pricing at Barnes and Noble. And they have LuLu as the Publisher and not MY NAME! Dab Nab Bit!!!!

I turned off the LuLu distribution thingy, and now I wait to see if my Smashwords would take back over. If not, I’ll have to contact Smashwords to distribute my novel back to Barnes and Noble, which would have the NORMAL and RIGHT pricing for an eBook.

I also added the Preview feature to my eBooks on Lulu and updated my Author profile. The Author page was something new that wasn’t there before…or, at least I didn’t think it was. It wasn’t there the last time I visited it, which was some cobweb time ago. It’s pretty neat and I liked that there’s an Author profile.

Sigh. I tell ya. The things you have to keep up with in this business. But…I wouldn’t change it for the world.

It’s still fun!


Until Next Time!